Nature Deficit Disorder
Updated: Jun 18, 2021
Numerous studies have shown that spending time in nature can lead to mental and physical health benefits.
In a randomized control trial, N𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 A𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 R𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗡𝗔𝗥) 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗)**
Unfortunately, with declining green spaces in our cities and increasing times spent in front of screens, our interaction with our natural environment is slowly reaching an all-time low.
Nature deficit disorder or NDD, a condition that doesn’t have an ICD-10 code yet, but it is certainly one that requires a lot of emphasis these days.
So moral of the story, get outdoors!
Whether it is going for a hike or relaxing on a beach, prescribe yourself some time with nature!
Until next time,
Shiven Chaudhry, MD 🧘♂️👨🏽⚕️
**Gelkopf, M., Hasson-Ohayon, I., Bikman, M., & Kravetz, S. (2013). Nature adventure rehabilitation for combat-related posttraumatic chronic stress disorder: A randomized control trial. Psychiatry research, 209(3), 485-493.